Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
My Etsy Shop
For quite some time, I have had a couple of friends that have encouraged me to open an etsy shop, but tiem can be scarce so I kept putting it off. My friend Heidi finally convinced me as she was wanting me to make binder covers for people to buy to cover their household binders that they create after reading her book Bootcamp for Lousy Housekeepers. Before continuing let me take a moment to put in a plug for her book. You don't have to be a lousy housekeeper to benefit from her book. If you would just like a little help organizing and figuring out how to get it all done this is the book for you. Check it out on her blog.
About a month ago I set up my shop, but hadn't blogged about it yet as I wanted to get a few more items in but it has taken me a while because life(literally) put it on the backburner. Anyway, I added a few things today and wanted to let you know what it there.
First are fabric storage buckets. These are probably my favorite thing to make right now.
Then a set of binder cover, bucket, and listtaker.
Then several binder covers that I have listed. Besides being great for a housekeeping notebook, I use these to cover a recipe binder, and my homeschool binders. Makes it very easy to find what I want on the shelf.
Then I have a few girls' skirts whcih let me try out new things every now and then.
and lastly one of my most popular items are reversible headbands and I only have one set left in the shop right now but will hopefully add some soon.
I have some other ideas that I'll be adding this summer including some fun applique and hand-embroidered t-shirts.
gasp...I forgot the link...my name is Patchykeen and the link is http://www.etsy.com/shop/patchykeen
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
My Southern Children
There are days that I wonder if I have the slowest children on the planet. Some are slower than others, but all of them move really slow. The only time they move fast is when they are playing a running game. I have one that eats so slow that she is still eating 30 min after the rest of us are done. I tell her it is a good thing that she doesn't go to school because she'd never get more than 2 bites of her lunch eaten. When we are doing chores I let them put music on. They should work faster, right? Nope. There is no cleaning to the beat in this house!!!
This morning we were running late for swim lessons. They all knew we were running late. I sent a kid in to get something that had been left inside. The tortoise could have beaten her back in the house and out again. When she was sauntering back to the van, looking all around her without a care in the world, I honked the horn. She said, "What?" "We are late! remember?" She just laughed because she knew she was moving slow as molasses.
That is when it hit me!!! They were all born in the south!!! They only have one speed...s-l-o-w!! It really isn't their fault. It all has to do with geographical location. I, would however, be interested in any tips in how to overcome this geographical defect.
P.S. Tortoise daughter said this was a funny post but thanks for not mentioning her name. ;-)
This morning we were running late for swim lessons. They all knew we were running late. I sent a kid in to get something that had been left inside. The tortoise could have beaten her back in the house and out again. When she was sauntering back to the van, looking all around her without a care in the world, I honked the horn. She said, "What?" "We are late! remember?" She just laughed because she knew she was moving slow as molasses.
That is when it hit me!!! They were all born in the south!!! They only have one speed...s-l-o-w!! It really isn't their fault. It all has to do with geographical location. I, would however, be interested in any tips in how to overcome this geographical defect.
P.S. Tortoise daughter said this was a funny post but thanks for not mentioning her name. ;-)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
One of Those Things...
This is yet another rambling post of things I've learned since losing Knox. I remember in those first days how I'd be out and see people with their little blond-headed toddlers and had to restrain myself to keep from telling them to hug them tight and love them well because they didn't know how much time they had with them. I'd get upset to hear people complaining about petty stuff and claiming a hard day when I was pretty sure they didn't know what a bad day was because in my book a bad day was finding your son not breathing. I'd get more upset with people making careless remarks about trading in their troublesome kids or offering them up for sale. I'd want to scream, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT A TREASURE YOU HAVE!"
At the same time, it didn't take long before I'd hear stories of other people's hardships and I'd think. "Wow....It would be terrible to have to walk that road. I'd hate to be called to do that." In other words, I didn't have the worst life out there. Kind of a weird feeling when you feel like you have been stripped of all you have(even though you really haven't). Before losing Knox though, I don't think I thought much of other people's hardships beyond a fleeting prayer mostly because of fear of what it would be like to get emotionally involved.
Getting back to my topic. I have come to realize that we all walk a different path with different hardships. The Bible promises suffering to us all which many want to think contradicts a loving God, but we live in a fallen world and, despite our salvation, we still fall short and sin. If we had heaven on earth, we'd have no need for a savior. That would be the real tragedy, to not know we need Christ. Realizing that we all walk different paths has also helped me to understand that I can't compare my life to others. It is too much like comparing apples to oranges. My son died. It is terrible and horrible and never a path I'd have wanted to walk. But it has been given to me and is mine to walk. It wouldn't be fair for me to tell someone, "You should be happy and not complain because your son is alive. You don't know what it is like."
It is true. They don't know what it is like. Just like I don't know what their hardship is like and what it is like to walk in their shoes. Honestly, I don't want to walk their path because I am sure it is hard and painful. At the same time, it isn't fair for them to compare their hardship to anyone else's. A friend whose husband doesn't have a job doesn't need to tell a friend who is battling an illness, "At least your husband has a job," or the friend who is battling an illness doesn't need to tell the friend whose husband is without a job, "At least you are well."
We could play that song and dance our whole lives, but the better thing to do would be to weep with one another, sharing one another's pain, recognizing it as real and pointing each other to the Man of Sorrows that understands our pain like no one else can. What a pleasure to have friends with whom you can share your sorrows along with your joys and know they are going to lift you up and encourage you.
At the same time, it didn't take long before I'd hear stories of other people's hardships and I'd think. "Wow....It would be terrible to have to walk that road. I'd hate to be called to do that." In other words, I didn't have the worst life out there. Kind of a weird feeling when you feel like you have been stripped of all you have(even though you really haven't). Before losing Knox though, I don't think I thought much of other people's hardships beyond a fleeting prayer mostly because of fear of what it would be like to get emotionally involved.
Getting back to my topic. I have come to realize that we all walk a different path with different hardships. The Bible promises suffering to us all which many want to think contradicts a loving God, but we live in a fallen world and, despite our salvation, we still fall short and sin. If we had heaven on earth, we'd have no need for a savior. That would be the real tragedy, to not know we need Christ. Realizing that we all walk different paths has also helped me to understand that I can't compare my life to others. It is too much like comparing apples to oranges. My son died. It is terrible and horrible and never a path I'd have wanted to walk. But it has been given to me and is mine to walk. It wouldn't be fair for me to tell someone, "You should be happy and not complain because your son is alive. You don't know what it is like."
It is true. They don't know what it is like. Just like I don't know what their hardship is like and what it is like to walk in their shoes. Honestly, I don't want to walk their path because I am sure it is hard and painful. At the same time, it isn't fair for them to compare their hardship to anyone else's. A friend whose husband doesn't have a job doesn't need to tell a friend who is battling an illness, "At least your husband has a job," or the friend who is battling an illness doesn't need to tell the friend whose husband is without a job, "At least you are well."
We could play that song and dance our whole lives, but the better thing to do would be to weep with one another, sharing one another's pain, recognizing it as real and pointing each other to the Man of Sorrows that understands our pain like no one else can. What a pleasure to have friends with whom you can share your sorrows along with your joys and know they are going to lift you up and encourage you.
Monday, June 7, 2010
A Mommy Milestone
So Creed is my 6th baby. Today I found myself in my first Mommy and me type class. I've never really seen a big need for them. I don't think they are bad or I wouldn't be doing one now. Way back(heehee) in the beginning we wouldn't have had the money nor did we live in a place big enough to offer those types of classes, and I interacted with them at home all the time anyway.
So why am I doing it now? After 2 weeks of swim lessons with Jack and Emma and another 2 weeks session ahead, I decided to sign Creed up for waterbabies so that at least he could get in the water while they had their lessons.
Last night, while Jon and I were discussing how we were going to juggle our activities of the day with only one car(the van is in the shop), he says with a smirk, "You know you have to sing little songs and stuff in the pool with him, right?" NO!!!! I didn't know that!!! We do sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider and songs like that at home; my sister would have my head if i didn't. However, I do not sing well and besides church, do not sing in public.
Yet there I was, 11 AM today, in the public pool with two teachers, 10 moms and 10 babies singing the Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round while doing motions in the pool. Creed loved every minute of it so I guess it was worth it.
Um, and Sharon, my friend, don't even think about asking for a photo or video because it ain't happening.
So why am I doing it now? After 2 weeks of swim lessons with Jack and Emma and another 2 weeks session ahead, I decided to sign Creed up for waterbabies so that at least he could get in the water while they had their lessons.
Last night, while Jon and I were discussing how we were going to juggle our activities of the day with only one car(the van is in the shop), he says with a smirk, "You know you have to sing little songs and stuff in the pool with him, right?" NO!!!! I didn't know that!!! We do sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider and songs like that at home; my sister would have my head if i didn't. However, I do not sing well and besides church, do not sing in public.
Yet there I was, 11 AM today, in the public pool with two teachers, 10 moms and 10 babies singing the Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round while doing motions in the pool. Creed loved every minute of it so I guess it was worth it.
Um, and Sharon, my friend, don't even think about asking for a photo or video because it ain't happening.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Not Just Washing dishes
A lot of nights Elizabeth and Anne Michal wash dishes together. Besides the obvious clean dishes, here is what gets accomplished:
they learn to work together
the chat about their day, music, movies, books, and whatever else they can think of
they laugh together
they compromise
they divide and conquer
they build their relationship with each other
and I just smile while listening to them enjoy each other's company forgetting that they are even working!
they learn to work together
the chat about their day, music, movies, books, and whatever else they can think of
they laugh together
they compromise
they divide and conquer
they build their relationship with each other
and I just smile while listening to them enjoy each other's company forgetting that they are even working!
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